Toast The BONEHEADS

A stupendous group of fellow artists, readers, and other dog lovers showed up to raise their glasses (of dog wine) to TOAST THE BONEHEADS. The BONEHEADS are the stars of Melissa Sweet's new picture book, Tupelo Rides the Rails.

Humans stood around munching bog bones, reading books, and discussing Melissa's initiative to help dog shelters--www.mydogisabonehead.com. Fab website to launch May 25th thanks to White Dog Arts.

The party was held at the deliciously eclectic studios of SNAP Productions where Scott Nash, Scott Whitehouse and artist Nancy Gibson Nash explore children's properties including good old kids' books.

Stopping by to Toast Melissa Sweet were fellow children's authors and illustrators Anne Sibley O'Brien, Jennifer Jacobson, Jamie Harper (and her Boston posse), Mary Anne Lloyd, Chris Van Dusen, Leane Morin (and her intriguing friends), Cathryn Falwell (and creative entourage including MuggleFest Architect, Dave Craig), and Sarah L. Thomson.

From the book profession (that I profess to be a part of) came librarians Jan Hamilton, Rita Swidrowski and the new children's editor for Kirkus Reviews (hurrah, hurrah!) Vicki Smith. Slinging books to the crowd were Books Etc. booksellers extraordinaire, Donna Gerardo and Jim O'Grady.

Also there were the hopelessly creative friends of Melissa, writer Deb Dalfonso, painter Deb Hides, Melissa Pritchard, Jack Bernazzani, Marecella Sweet, photographer Mark Mattos, Kathy Palmer of Fetch, Gary Robinov of White Dog Arts, Karen Ogg, Aldona Shumway, Youssef Ayad, Gail Spain, and more, more, more!

What a truly boneheaded evening.

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The Attorney General's Brain

Spent the morning being gesticulated at with a rubber brain. Who knew Maine's Attorney General had an extra?

Well he does and he has put it to fine use. Maine Attorney General, Steve Rowe is out stumping for the brains of wee ones. Citing the incredible figure that 85% of brain development occurs by the age of three (90% by age 6), he made the case that it made good economic (if not moral) sense to support early childhood development.

He showed a brilliant graph of educator salaries laid over the arch of brain development. A college professor making an average of $60K serves us at our time of lowest brain growth while early childhood educators make an average of $16K in the most crucial time in our development. Doesn't take a brain surgeon to see something wrong here.

I was stunned and ecstatic to hear Barack Obama also voicing anger over the the abysmal salaries of early childhood educators in his Zero to Five plan.

Dare we hope that we will stop leaving so many children behind??

Comic Book Heroes

South Portland, Maine middle school librarians, Connie Burns and Dan Wolotsky strike a pose after an evening celebrating kid created comics.

Check out the comics created in Comic Life by Memorial Middle School kids and Mahoney Middle School kids.

These two never fail to take advantage of every grand opportunity books or authors offer. This year they pulled off a fabulous school wide read of Maria Testa's Something About America and a comic book workshop with Anne Sibley O'Brien for The Legend of Hong Kil Dong.

They are also known to careen across the bridge with students for author events at the Portland Public Library. They provided agog boys for a comic afternoon with Jeff Kinney for his series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and they provided a roomful of brilliant girls to see Mitali Perkins and Jamie Hogan present Rickshaw Girl.

Darn nice to work with brains like these.

Tournment of Turtles

Mad Turtle, indeed. Cathryn Falwell and I trundled up to LL Bean in Freeport for a few hours to promote SCOOT! on the flagstones of their mighty flagship store. Using Cathryn's cleverly simple puppet form, kids created every variation of tussling turtles.

Always say, "yes" to a LL Bean signing. They are very dedicated to the books and authors they host.

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Pirate or a Pest?

We were pleased (as punch) to throw a small event for Geoffrey Hayes for his grand early reader comic book, Benny and Penny in Just Pretend.

Geoffrey read to the crowd about Benny, who insists that he has a pirate ship and his younger sister, Penny, who declares in a younger-sister-pest-like way, that it is a BOX. Rather funny sibling squabbling ensues.

Geoffrey's audience was rapt during the reading, settled in to create their own comics and then took turns having Polaroid snapshots taken in the H.M.S. Toon.

The H.M.S. Toon was our tribute to the new line of early reader comics, Toon Books and our piratical imaginations. Over lunch, Geoffrey who has spent over 30 years in the children's book biz, says that his faith in the medium has been restored by the incredible work being done by Francoise Mouly at Toon Books. We could not agree more.

Thanks to Casablanca Comics and Maples Gelateria for being such swell hosts.

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